Rescue Cat - In or Out Tonight

This is a special section for cats needing new homes and for inspiring stories of cats that have found their furever home through Catster or through the love and energy of rescuers. This is also the place to discuss shelters, rescue organizations, rescue strategies, issues, solutions, etc. and how we can all help in this critical endeavor. Remember that we are all here for the love of cat! If you are posting about a cat that needs a new home, please put your location in the topic of your thread so those close by can find you! Make sure to check out Catster's cat adoption center!

Hi. I've been providing food and shelter to a stray for about three months. She has a cat door into my garage, a heated water bowl, a heated pet bed up off the floor, regular petting and lots of food. It's been in the 20's-30's here, but tonight it will get down near zero and I am wondering if I should let her in the kitchen. I don't want to tease her with a night inside the house if I can't deliver on a long term basis - which isn't a possibility right now. Question: do you think she'll be OK in the garage?

Sounds like it could get a little chilly in there for her. I'm still learning how to be a "cat person" myself, but maybe bring her in on the colder nights and isolate her to a small room like a bathroom, and provide food and a litter box there?

We were in a similar position as you except without the cold (we live in Southern California where "cold" means 50 degrees). When we decided to adopt Snowflake she was going to be a full-time outdoor cat because of my wife's allergies, but then when we took her to the vet to get spayed we were told to keep her inside for 10 days, which caught us completely off guard. We were expecting a day or two but not 10! Long story short she ended up doing extremely well indoors, and my wife got some good pointers from a nurse friend about dealing with the allergies, so all is well and we now have a full-time (and very happy) indoor kitty.